The Queen and Duke of Edinburgh announce full day of Pembrokeshire visits next week

HER Majesty the Queen and His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh are to visit Pembrokeshire next Tuesday (April 29).

They will arrive by Royal train at Haverfordwest Railway Station for a full day of visits.

From there, the Duke will visit Puffin Produce, Withybush, to meet the company’s board of directors and staff, while the Queen visits Cotts Farm Equine Hospital, Robeston Wathen.

Together, they will then visit Narberth-based Princes Gate Spring Water. Shortly after noon the Royals will travel up Narberth High Street on their way to Picton Castle for a lunch hosted by Pembrokeshire County Council chairman Councillor Arwyn Williams.

After lunch, the Queen and Duke will visit Pembroke Dock, nearly 60 years after Her Majesty’s first visit to the town as monarch.

Arriving at the Sunderland Trust’s heritage centre at the Royal Dockyard Chapel, the Queen and Duke will open the town’s new Heritage Centre and unveil a 200-year timeline bicentennial memorial wall with the help of pupils from the three Pembroke Dock primary schools.

The Royal couple will be given a tour the Heritage Centre in the restored Chapel and meet representatives of the Sunderland Trust, Bicentennial Group and the community.

Pembroke Dock Bicentennial Group chairman Pam George said: “This is a tremendous boost for Pembroke Dock in this the bicentennial year.”

Bicentennial coordinator and Sunderland Trustee Martin Cavaney added: “This is the culmination of a tremendous amount of work by both organisations to not only mark the 200th anniversary of the town but to recognise the remarkable heritage of the community.

“This includes five Royal Yachts which were built at the Royal Dockyard here.”

Cllr Williams said: “I am delighted that Her Majesty The Queen and His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh have chosen to visit Pembrokeshire for the whole day.

“It is a great honour for the county and I am sure they will be given a right Royal Pembrokeshire welcome.”

Puffin Produce office manager Beverly Humphreys said: “It’s a big honour for us to be chosen to have a Royal visit.

“We are sure it will be a memorable occasion and we are all looking forward to it.”

A Princes Gate spokesman said: “We are immensely honoured at having been selected for inclusion in this Royal tour of Pembrokeshire.

“It’s such a wonderful opportunity to showcase our brand and personally this marks a career high to welcome our nation’s sovereign to a site and business about which we are passionate.

“This will undoubtedly become the most significant event in the history of Princes Gate Water Ltd.”

The Queen as monarch paid her first visit to Pembrokeshire in 1955 and visited Pembroke Dock and its then RAF Station.

Sunderland flying boats paid an aerial tribute as the Royal Party left the Haven on the Royal Yacht Britannia.